This invention relates to a paper sheet number counting apparatus of the type in which the sheets stored in a stacked state in a hopper are delivered towards a stacker by means of a payout roll. More particularly, it relates to an improvement in an auxiliary roll employed in such apparatus and by means of which the sheets are delivered towards the payout roll.
FIG. 1 shows a typical setup of the counting apparatus of the above type, in which an auxiliary delivery roll 3 consisting of an offset roll is rotatably mounted on the bottom 2 of a hopper unit 1, and a large diameter payout roll 6 is mounted at the outlet of the hopper unit 1 in a facing relation to a guide roll 4 and a separating roll 5. A pinch roll 7 is mounted adjacent to the payout roll 6 at the downstream side relative to the rotational direction of the payout roll 6, whereas extracting rolls 9 and a stacker disk 10 are mounted at the outlet side of the guide plates 8, 8' mounted, in turn, close to the peripheral surface of the payout roll 6.
In this known device, the auxiliary delivery roll 3 of the hopper unit 1 used for transport of the paper sheets is designed as offset roll, and the roll 3 is contacted with the paper sheet by a frictional covering, such as rubber covering, provided on a portion of the peripheral surface of the roll. However, the circumferential extent with which the covering contacts the paper sheet is so narrow that an insufficient friction is actually transmitted from the covering to the paper sheet. For instance, when the paper sheet is a banknote fresh from the press, and thus showing a smooth surface and considerable toughness, smooth and stable delivery of the paper sheets at an enhanced speed may become unfeasible thus inevitably lowering the operating speed of the apparatus.